Hi I was wondering what the friendliest small pet is, meaning I don't want it to bite. We don't want cats or dogs, but we'd like to have our daughter learn about the responsibilities of caring for a small animal. We are fully aware that WE will be taking care of this pet, we want it too. But it will be in her room. Hamsters bite am I right? Anything small and cute and fluffy that does NOT bite? Thank you!
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Hey hey anon! I can't think of a small furry pet that doesn't bite! I was thinking about turtles while reading your message but when I reached the furry bit I realized it's not an option. How old is your girl? If she's old enough to be explained that any pet should be treated with respect and care I don't think you should be worried about biting! Cats, dogs, hamsters and other animals don't bite for nothing, they bite for a reason usually to protect themselves from mistreating. Even if they happen to bite, it's kind of a lesson for kids too! I don't mean deep bites of course but deep bites won't happen if you respect the animal as a living creature. If you want to be totally safe you can get a budgie but they are not furry as cats or dogs!
I had a hamster once and it often used to nip/bite me and it would make me paranoid to even pick it up so I don't want my daughter to end up with a hamster that likes to bite. As far as I know I used to "handle" her properly but that was a long time ago. Birds not an option. Thank you for your reply :-)
Hello all,

Surprisingly, hamsters and other rodents can be much more unpredictable than cats and dogs when it comes to biting. They are small and fragile. They can be hurt by accident even if you're careful. When it happens, they have to react (bite) to protect themselves. It often looks like they do that without a reason but it's not so because we may just miss the reason and the "warnings" the animal sends to us. This is very unlikely with dogs when you can barely miss the warning sings (unless you know very little about dog body language).

If I was thinking about a "safe" cuddly pet for my kid I'd probably choose a cat with a very calm temperament like Persian, or any cat from a local shelter that doesn't show signs of hyperactivity. You can clip a cat's nails to minimize scratching, if you like. But that's just my preference.
Thanks for your reply. Cats aren't an option for us. How are gerbils different from hamsters, could that be an option?
And most importantly, do they bite more than hamsters?
Why not cats if I may ask?

I'm not sure about gerbils. A lot will depend on the animal's temperament, and even a good tempered gerbil can bite because of rough handling or unexpected fear (if you grab it from behind for example).
Now that you guys made me think about it, I can't think of an animal that wouldn't bite or scratch or find other ways to protect itself if the owners give it poor handling!
Ok guys I'm not planning on handling the animal poorly! And back then I didn't handle my hamster poorly either, but she just bit anyways! I was just hoping there was an animal that doesn't bite at all when handled properly. But I guess there's no such thing because every animal has its own personality and we could end up with a grumpy hamster.

Cats are not ideal for us because we travel a lot, and my parents wouldn't come over every day to take care of a cat, and I can't leave a cat at their small flat which they wouldn't want anywayz. But a hamster is easier to take to them when we are on holiday.
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